12h • 📣General discussion📣
You don't have a technician hiring problem. You have 3 of them.
If you've been telling yourself "nobody wants to work" or "Indeed is broken" — I need you to hear something.
You don't have a shortage problem. You have a strategy problem.
And the reason it feels impossible is because you're fighting 3 separate battles with 1 tool (a job ad and a prayer).
I've worked with over 200 shops in the last seven years.
I've had 500+ conversations with shop owners about this exact issue.
And here's what I've found:
The shops that hire fast aren't luckier.
They're just solving 3 different problems instead of pretending it's 1.
LET'S BREAK THESE PROBLEMS DOWN
PROBLEM #1: ATTENTION (The tech you want isn't looking for you)
One of our shop owner clients said it best after I showed him the salary survey we created for him: "I was amazed to see what the actual pool of techs who are looking actually is. We are all chasing the same people who are looking for work."
That's it. That's the whole problem with Indeed.
You post for an A-tech. Oil changers apply. You spend $1,000/month and get nothing. You never reach top talent.
Why?
Because the tech you actually want is at work right now.
They're not browsing job boards.
They're not searching "auto tech jobs near me."
They're clocking in every morning at a shop that probably doesn't appreciate them.
They might leave — but only if something clearly better crosses their path.
The shift: Stop thinking like an employer posting a job. Start thinking like a marketer running a campaign.
Job board = fishing in a pond that's been fished out.
Recruitment marketing = building a magnet (the right bait) in front of fish that swim in other ponds.
PROBLEM #2: ENGAGEMENT (Getting them to respond, show up, and not ghost you)
Even when the right tech sees your opportunity — they still have to: → Reply → Interview → Actually show up.
And most won't.
Because they're employed.
They've got fear and friction:
"What if my boss finds out?"
"What if this is bait-and-switch?"
"I don't have time for a long process."
This is a sales process, not an HR process.
You're earning trust, not screening resumes.
Think of it as a 3-rung engagement ladder:
1. Quiet curiosity — They see your ad. They don't apply. They just notice. (This IS a win.)
2. Low-risk reply — They send a question. "Do you have epoxy floors?" "What's your drainage like?"
They're testing you. If you don't respond fast, you already lost them.
3. Low-pressure conversation — Short call. After-hours shop tour. Something that respects their time and current situation.
The shops that respond to applicants within 10 minutes? They almost never get ghosted.
The shops that sit on applications for 3-4 days? They get ghosted constantly.
Speed and respect. That's the engagement game.
PROBLEM #3: COMMITMENT (Closing the hire AND making it stick)
This is where you get blindsided.
The interview goes great. You shake hands. You agree on pay. Everyone smiles.
Then:
→ They take a counteroffer from another shop
→ Their current shop playes nicey nice and makes them happy (for now)
→ Their spouse or a friend gets in their ear and talks them out of it
→ They get spooked for some other reason
→ They say "let me think about it" (and disappear)
→ They start and leave in 3 months
The best techs are rarely desperate.
They need more than money.
They need trust, a future, respect, and a place where they can win.
And here's the nuance most shops miss: commitment isn't getting a "yes."
It's getting the toolbox moved in!
Between the handshake and Day 1, there's a dangerous gap.
Their current boss will counteroffer. Their coworkers will guilt trip. Their family will raise doubts.
Stay in touch during that gap.
Make them feel like they already belong before their first day.
And once they're in?
Commitment becomes retention.
Culture, growth path, and the daily experience of working at your shop has to match what you promised during recruiting.
THE QUESTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
Most shop owners ask: "Where are all the techs?"
Wrong question.
The right question: "Why would a great tech leave a job that's good enough… to come to mine?"
If you can't answer that clearly — no job board, no recruiter, no hiring hack will save you.
But if you can?
Then you just need a system to get that message in front of the right people, at the right time, in the right way.
Attention → Engagement → Commitment.
Three problems. Three strategies.
QUICK SELF-CHECK — Where are you stuck?
👉 Stuck on Attention if: You're getting zero qualified applicants or only attracting the wrong people. You're fishing in the wrong pond.
👉 Stuck on Engagement if: You're reaching decent techs but they're ghosting, not showing up, or going silent. Your process has too much friction.
👉 Stuck on Commitment if: You're getting to the offer stage and losing them to counteroffers or early turnover. You haven't closed the emotional gap.
Drop a comment below: Which of the 3 problems is YOUR biggest bottleneck right now — Attention, Engagement, or Commitment?
I read every single response. And I'll share specific tactics for whichever one the group is struggling with most.
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You don't have a technician hiring problem. You have 3 of them.
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